Balance Transfer Fees: Calculate the Promotion’s Real Break-Even
A balance transfer buys a temporary rate window. Its value depends on how quickly the fee is recovered and how much principal remains when the window closes.
Balance Transfer Calculator
Test whether the transfer fee buys enough interest savings before the promotion ends.
Calculations stay in this browser. No entries are saved.
Race the balance against the promotion deadline
The fee raises the starting balance. What remains when the promotion ends decides whether the later APR matters.
- Add the fee on day one
- Pay during the promotion
- Price the remaining balance
Promotion savings after the transfer fee
Calculated resultNot available
Confirm the approved amount, exact deadline, fee, purchase rules and APR after the promotion.
How the transfer deadline is tested
The transferred balance begins with the fee added, accrues the promotional rate for the entered period, and then uses the post-promotion rate. The keep-current-card case uses the same payment for a fair comparison.
Risks outside the promotion math
Approval limits, annual fees, purchase balances, allocation rules and missed-payment promotion loss are excluded.
This calculator supports The Real Cost of Credit Cards. Balance Transfer Fees: Calculate the Promotion’s Real Break-Even explains which details can change the inputs. The calculation methodology shows how we handle timing, rounding and exclusions.
Evidence standard for this calculation
Confirm the approved amount, exact deadline, fee, purchase rules and APR after the promotion. Inputs remain in the browser and outputs are rounded for display.
Read the complete methodology →Questions about transfer fees and promotion timing
Does the fee buy enough promotional interest saving?
A transfer helps only when avoided interest exceeds the transfer fee and any interest charged during and after the promotional window.
What balance remains when the promotion expires?
The result carries forward the fee, promotional interest and entered payments to show the balance still unpaid when the offer ends.
Offer conditions to read before transferring
- Transfer limit, fee and promotion end date
- Post-promotion APR and payment-allocation rules
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